Relapse
by July '91
Summary: Dr Frankie Labrada has some unfinished business with Gregory House, whether she wants to acknowledge it or not. But can she keep her past at bay long enough to find out where she wants to be? Maybe it's finally time for a Relapse. HouseOC; Sequel to Healing Wounds.
1. Wile E Coyote

1 – Wile E. Coyote

I fidgeted in my seat as my plane slowed on the runway. The pilot said something over the speaker, but I wasn't listening. I was busy staring out the window, waiting to get out of this plane and breathe some air. You know: real, fresh, polluted city air…with something concrete under my converse. My attention was brought away from the window, though, as most of the passengers began to rise from their seats and take their bags from the overhead compartments.

I got up and stretched as the stiff in the tie that sat next to me took his computer and tiny briefcase and wandered off down the aisle. I took my laptop from behind my legs and brought my duffle bag from its place above my seat.

A few minutes and a mob of people later, I was watching the conveyor belt intently while I waited for my other suitcase.

'_Making love with his ego, Ziggy sucked up into his mind—_'

I fished my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open.

'Hello?'

'Your plane land yet?' I heard my brother's voice ask.

'Yeah. Now where are you?' I asked, briefly looking away from the parade of luggage to look for my brother.

'I'm almost there. I just hope you don't get hit on by any psycho killers or something… whatever you do, don't let anyone buy you a Bay Breeze!' Johnny said, making me smile.

'You haven't done anything, but watch movies while I was gone, have you?' I asked, spotting my suitcase and watching it move a little bit closer.

'Well, yeah… and work. And buy a guitar,' Johnny replied as I grabbed my suitcase, sat it on the floor, and popped up the handle.

'You bought a guitar?' I asked into the phone with a grin.

'Yeah! I kind of rock…' he said, finally coming up next to me. His arms were wide in expectation of a hug. 'Francesca!'

I hugged my brother for a moment and we shared the usual I-missed-yous. Then I reached up, grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back so I could look him in the eye.

'What did I tell you about calling me by that name?' I asked, raising my eyebrows.

'What? It's your name! It's on your birth certificate…' Johnny replied with an almost innocent smile.

'If you keep calling me it, I'll have it legally changed.'

'No you won't. Mom would kill you!' Johnny shot back with a look on his face that basically said I was full of crap. I let go of his head and took a step back, looking Johnny over in my best older-sister way.

'When was the last time you washed those clothes?' I asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled before answering.

'You're supposed to wash them?'

* * *

I walked into Johnny's apartment and immediately dropped my bags on the floor by the door. I raised my eyebrows and looked around. The place was actually quite nicely furnished. And clean!

'You're sleeping on the couch, by the way,' Johnny joked as he disappeared into the kitchen.

I had come down to Princeton a couple times before, and now all my things were in storage locker number E375: my furniture, my clothes, my knick-knacks… yes, I have knick-knacks. Johnny had practically made me stay with him while I looked for a place of my own. I smiled at the role reversal here.

I threw myself onto the couch and rested my head on the armrest, closing my eyes. A few minutes later I heard Johnny's voice.

'Aw, widdle Fwankie has jet wag,' he said, making me open my eyes. He had a Coke and a bottle of water in his hand. I smirked sleepily and sat up, making room for him on the couch. As he sat down he gave me the water bottle.

'So, what's for dinner?' I asked, stretching my legs in front of me.

'I put a pizza in the oven,' Johnny replied, turning the TV on and settling into the couch cushions. I watched him for a minute and smiled.

'I'm impressed,' I told him fondly. Johnny looked at me for a second like I was crazy.

'Because I'm making a frozen pizza?' he asked, raising an eyebrow. I laughed for a second before replying.

'No, I mean…' I stopped, looking around, 'Well, look at this place! The furniture's actually... well, you know, intact. The place is clean, you're obviously paying your utility bill. I'm proud of you.'

'Yeah,' Johnny just smiled for a second and looked around at his apartment proudly, then he turned his attention back to me with an amused look on his face, 'I'm even thinking of getting a pet!'

'Well, don't push it,' I joked, putting my arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly to see the TV still on and Johnny lying on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket from head to toe, and looking vaguely like a silkworm, or a cocoon, or something. I got up as quietly as I could, stepped over my sleeping brother as carefully as possible, and dragged my duffle bag into the bathroom. After one of the quickest showers of my life, I emerged from the steaming bathroom to see Johnny half awake and still sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the couch. He was squinting at the TV and holding a mug of something.

'G'morning,' I greeted with a cheery smile.

'Are you kidding?' was Johnny's reply, partnered with a sleepy look that said I was crazy.

'Do you have anything for breakfast? I'll cook,' I said, ignoring my brother's morning pessimism and heading into the kitchen.

'You in a hurry?' he asked groggily, not answering my question. Probably on purpose. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

'That's okay, I'll pick up a bagel on my way there,' I said, walking out of the kitchen and back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

'Where are you going?' I heard from the other side of the door as I started to get dressed.

'I have a couple of interviews and then lunch,' I looked down at the two shirts in my hand, 'Blue or green?'

'Blue. Lunch? Who with?' Johnny asked curiously, and I heard a soft thump against the door. I slipped on the green blouse and started doing up the buttons.

'Just an old friend. Can't afford to sever any ties when you're looking for a job.'

I reached for the doorknob and opened the bathroom door, propelling myself out, just to be met with the mass of flailing limbs that was my brother. He had been leaning on the door that I had just pulled open. After a second, he caught his balance by grabbing both sides of the doorframe, looking vaguely like Wile E. Coyote hanging from two cliffs. I smiled at him for a second and then quickly ducked under his arm. I gave my brother a quick peck on the cheek before walking away.

'I've really missed you, Johnny,' I said with a smile and walked out the door. As I left, I vaguely heard him call after me.

'Aren't you going to help me?'

* * *

'Boston must have agreed with you, Frankie,' Wilson said as he handed his menu back to the waiter, 'You look great.'

I nodded softly and took a sip of my ice water. 'For the most part,' I began, mentally shuffling through a few memories of my time there, 'It was nice to be back home.'

Wilson smiled at me. I could tell that a lot had happened since I left. Big things. I could see it in his eyes, but I decided to keep that thought to myself, for the time being. For a second, sitting at the table with Wilson brought up a warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. My mind wandered to Princeton Plainsboro's cafeteria and having lunch with Wilson and—

I quickly stuffed those thoughts back into the dark corner of the closet from whence they came.

'How are your parents? And Johnny?' Wilson asked, pulling me out of my little nostalgia trip, just as the waiter came by with some stuffed mushrooms.

'Parents are good. Johnny is… Johnny. Out of his mind and totally amazing,' I replied, with a smile. 'I'm staying with him until I find a place. He wouldn't take no for an answer.'

'Have you narrowed down the job search yet?' he asked nonchalantly. And suddenly there it was. The elephant in the room had just soaked us all in river water and stormed through the whole restaurant.

'Considerably,' I said, trying to evade the question as I served myself a mushroom. Wilson stared at me for a second before speaking.

'You know, he's clean now,' Wilson stated, throwing all caution to the wind. I looked at him like a deer in headlights. I had forgotten how surprisingly straight-forward Wilson could be. It took me a second, and a couple of well-timed blinks, before I could respond to that.

'Is he really?' I asked, trying to seem casual and taking a long gulp of my water. Wilson just nodded.

'I thought you'd like to know that before I gave you my offer,' he said, sitting back in his chair and watching me. 'Just so that you wouldn't turn me down for any wrong reasons. Although, feel free to accept for any wrong reason you want.'

He added a smile to his last sentence, and suddenly, I felt nostalgic for the days when Wilson was trying to get me to help him with House.

'What kind of offer?' I asked, slowly regaining my composure. His eyes lit up, glad at the opportunity to try to win me over.

'A job at Princeton Plainsboro. And before you say no, let me just say that it would feel like a personal favor to me if you were to say yes,' he said, looking like a kid with a new toy. I sighed patiently, but nodded.

'What kind of job?' I asked. He seemed thrilled to just be able to talk about it.

'I've been doing some research… stimulation on the nervous system and how it can affect my patients. Also, electrical stimulation enhancing the effects of their chemo treatments, and helping them with their pain. I mean, this is right up your alley! And really, if you saw the progress my patients have been making—'

I let him talk, but all the while in the back of my head, I knew I'd turn this position down. I mean, I had to. I couldn't work at Princeton Plainsboro again. What would have been the use of leaving in the first place? I had to go forward, not back.

Of course, going from working for House to working for Wilson wasn't exactly a huge leap in the wrong direction…

And speaking of House, how in the world could that rat be clean now? I leave, and he suddenly cleans up his act? Great timing. He couldn't do that while I was around?

'What do you think?' Wilson said, pulling my attention back to the conversation. I had lost complete track, my thoughts wandering off into all sorts of different places. I just took another sip of my water and thought for a moment. Shouldn't I just let him down easy?

'I'll think about it,' I heard myself say. Wait. That wasn't as forward as I meant to be about the situation…

* * *

A/N: Hello again, everyone! I really hope you guys like this story. It won't be as long as Healing Wounds was, but I couldn't keep Frankie and House in limbo anymore. It's worth noting that this fic is slightly AU, since events changed a bit after Frankie left. Anyway, please R&R, let me know what you think!


	2. Mellow Yellow

2 – Mellow Yellow

* * *

What in the world was I thinking? I opened the door and walked back into Princeton Plainsboro for the first time in years. It, of course, looked exactly the same, and I suddenly felt a surge of memories flood back as I looked around the lobby. I watched for a moment as doctors on clinic duty scuttled around, taking files, calling patients.

One particular blonde doctor looked familiar, and I watched her for a moment before going up to the front desk.

'I'm here to see Dr. Wilson,' I said, looking around again as the nurse at the desk made a call on her phone.

'He'll be with you in just a moment, please take a seat,' she replied with a quick smile before going back to her work. I did as directed, and suddenly that same blonde doctor caught my eye again as she came up to the desk before me. With a flash wave of realization, my breath caught. It was Allison.

Without really realizing what I was doing, I got up and went over to her, tapping her on the shoulder. When she turned her eyes widened, and she stood there, not moving, for a long moment. As soon as I started to think she had gone catatonic, a grin spread across her face.

'Frankie?' she asked in disbelief and suddenly gave me a quick hug, 'What are you- How are you-'

'Don't get too excited,' I laughed, 'I'm just here for a quick interview. I doubt it'll all come through, anyway.'

'I wouldn't be so sure. Remember the last time you came here for 'just an interview'?' she said with a smirk. I raised my eyebrows.

'All too well,' I said, trying to smirk as well.

'You're here!' I heard an exclamation from my left and turned, seeing Wilson a few feet away. I raised an eyebrow at him.

'You sound surprised. Were you doubting me?' I asked, half-joking. Wilson plastered a boyish grin on his face.

'Never,' he replied, although I gave him a skeptical look which he ignored, 'Let me show you what I've been doing.'

* * *

Doctor James Wilson would never consider himself a conniving person, but sometimes the ends justified the means. Frankie Labrada needed Princeton Plainsboro as much as it needed her. She just didn't know it yet. Wilson would be happy to help her discover this fact, however. As the both of them walked through the hospital, Wilson pointed out everything pertinent to his recent project: small therapy centers and the usual chemo wings, but with added equipment.

According to Wilson's research, proper stimulation could not only help with the physical pain of cancer, but could allow his patients to receive treatment more efficiently. It really was remarkably exciting for him, and Wilson could tell that his enthusiasm was contagious. Frankie looked interested, and was asking questions that he was more than willing to answer. As they walked on they continued talking, and Frankie got more and more engrossed in the conversation. Wilson was actually starting to feel pleased with himself. That is, until he started to turn the corner...

The familiar sight of two sneaker-clad feet and the rubber tipped end of a cane met Wilson's downward gaze and he stopped short, ducking back into the hall as quickly as possible. He felt a dull thump as Frankie collided with his back.

'Wilson, what the he-'

'I just thought you might want to see some of the reports of our progress. They're in my office,' Wilson said quickly, cutting off Frankie's flustered exclamation. He practically pushed Frankie down the hall in his infernal hurry to get away from the unwanted encounter that was about to take place. The dark thought flashed in his brain that the minute Frankie saw House limping around with his snarky attitude and his pessimistic witticisms, her interest wouldn't be in his project even if it was unearthing evidence of aliens building the pyramids. Meanwhile, Frankie was looking at Wilson's determined face as if he had three heads, one of which was covered in green scales.

Wilson was not going to be distracted, though, and he continued with his tour as quickly as possible, aiming for the relative safety of his office to iron out the details before anything else could threaten to shatter his plan.

* * *

'Are we serious, here? I mean, did they really make a song about Mello Yello?' Johnny said, furrowing his eyebrows with a bewildered expression at the radio. 'What's next, Sprite?'

I shook my head with a small smile on my face. 'Johnny. The song came _before_ the drink.'

Johnny couldn't seem to filter that properly. 'But why in the world would they write a song called Mellow Yellow otherwise?'

I reached for the radio and flipped to the next station. We listened to some cherry-flavored pop music for a few seconds before Johnny piped up again.

'Mellow Yellow, though? I mean, who comes up with that?'

'Johnny, you've uncovered it!' I exclaimed, 'The guy must have traveled forward in _time_! He drank too much Mello Yello, which as we all know has a ridiculous caffeine content, and on his buzz he went home and wrote this song so that we could specifically have this conversation. You may have saved the world!'

Johnny was silent for a moment. 'Well. There's no reason for sarcasm.'

'Why, Johnny. Who's been talking to you since I went away? There's _always_ reason for sarcasm,' I replied with an over-exaggerated grin as I pulled into the parking lot of the Italian restaurant that Johnny and I had picked randomly online. A few minutes later we were seated and Johnny was playing with the ice cubes in his water glass, trying to fish them out with his spoon and place them on a plate next to a now-soggy piece of buttered bread.

'Want some crayons?' I asked, raising an eyebrow amusedly. Johnny's eyes lit up.

'They have crayons? Can I get one of those little maze puzzles, too?' he replied with extra enthusiasm, the look on his face making me laugh.

'Of course. And we can get you some nice chicken fingers and fries, but you can't eat them until you tuck your napkin into your shirt,' I said with mock-sweetness, making Johnny shoot me a look.

'Don't hate me 'cause I'm awesome,' he replied, beginning to cut a hole in the middle of his bread. 'It's not my fault that you can't make a decision about where to work.'

I watched him as he put his now-maimed bread back on his plate and started to fill the newly created hole with water from his straw. I took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

'As a matter of fact, I have made my decision,' I told him, starting to fiddle with my own straw. Johnny didn't even look up.

'You're going back to Princeton Plainsboro.' It wasn't a question. I furrowed my eyebrows.

'Yes…' I muttered.

'I know,' he replied casually. I gave him an incredulous look.

'How could you know?' I asked as he started to fold his paper napkin. He stopped his work for a brief second and looked up at me.

'You're my sister. I love you. I have an interest in you. I know you damn well. How could I not know?'

Then -as if punctuating his sentence- Johnny revealed his napkin to be a little folded paper boat. He placed it in the tiny lake he had made in his bread and grinned at me.

* * *

It was quiet in the bathroom except for the soft lull of a peaceful, jazzy song playing through the speakers of my phone. I sloshed around a bit in the tub to keep myself awake as I sipped from my glass of wine.

It had been a long weekend.

I still wasn't sure if I knew what I was doing, going back to Princeton Plainsboro. There were things –memories- there that I couldn't necessarily ignore. Especially since these memories had a cane.

_Well,_ I thought as I took another sip of Shiraz, _at least I can outrun them._

Suddenly, the music on my phone changed to my rather high-pitched ringtone: the theme song to Doctor Who. I sighed and lifted myself out of the water to look at the screen.

Scott.

Instinctively, I slid back into the water as if it could hide me from the incoming call. These were memories that I unfortunately could not outrun. My phone continued to ring, the vibrations moving it across the floor toward me like it was trying to catch me. I thought of pressing ignore, but the irrational part of my brain felt that if I touched the phone it would get me.

The ringing stopped. The jazz played again.

I stared at the phone for a long while, thinking back to Boston. I had run away, hadn't I? Again. I was excelling at it by now: running from possibilities for the future in the name of leaving behind the past. I sighed, downing the rest of my wine and putting the glass on the floor beside my phone. Thoughts flooded my head as I rested against the back of the tub. Too many thoughts to handle, I quickly decided. I turned my music up and poured myself another glass.

* * *

My head pounded as Princeton Plainsboro loomed overhead like the boss you've died three times trying to defeat.

'Now or never,' I whispered to myself before getting out of my car. I tried to walk confidently as I strode through the doors and past the front desk, but my head was swimming. I wasn't even sure how I navigated my way to the oncology department, but I did. Without really remembering how I got there, I was face to face with Wilson's door. I knocked tentatively, trying to at least look like I was put together. The door opened to Wilson's usual cheerful demeanor welcoming me.

'Frankie!' he greeted as he showed me in, 'Beautiful day, isn't it?'

I smiled, letting Wilson's positive attitude melt away my nervousness. 'I think it definitely could be.'

* * *

A/N: I gotta say, I missed Johnny. A few plot points popping up in this chapter! Fun! Thanks to you guys that reviewed the first chapter, please keep 'em coming. I love hearing what you guys think. Reviews are my rocket fuel, haha. Anyway, please R&R and have a musical day!


	3. Apple a Day

3 - Apple a Day

* * *

My first week back at Princeton Plainsboro was... uneventful. Working with Wilson was proving to be a nice experience, and so far there hadn't been any uncomfortable reunions that I had to deal with. I smiled to myself happily as I put an apple on my tray next to my turkey club. Johnny had joked that if I ate an apple a day, it would keep Greg House away.

However, as I turned to go find a table, I suddenly found myself wishing I had eaten more apples.

As Greg met my eye, he dropped his Coca-Cola, soaking his sneakers. If I had been in a joking mood, I would have commented on the shocking event of him being rendered speechless. As it was though, it was all I could do to hold on to my tray. Of course, I had the advantage in this situation: I knew this little meet-and-greet would happen eventually. I doubted that the few people who knew I was working here would have told him anything. I couldn't imagine Johnny calling House up for a chat.

'Why are _you_ here?' Greg asked, more to himself than to me. I looked him in the eye and smiled as innocently as I could.

'I work here.' I followed my overly-simple statement by turning on my heel and walking out of the cafeteria, tray and all.

* * *

By the time I had gotten back to Wilson's office, I could hear yelling inside.

'_How can a man with a cane walk so damn fast?'_ I asked to myself as I came closer to the door. I looked down at the tray in my hands, not exactly sure what I had planned to do with it when I reached my destination. I sat down against the wall next to the door and placed the tray next to me, feeling slightly like a kid waiting for her parents to finish up with the principal. Suddenly, the door flew open beside me and a cane came out of the doorway. I looked up at House.

He was _seething_. He looked down at me for the briefest of seconds before hauling ass the other way.

'Well, I think that went pretty well.'

I looked back up to see Wilson leaning against the doorframe. My jaw dropped.

'You're joking.'

'For House?' Wilson replied, raising his eyebrows. 'It could have been a lot worse.' He turned and disappeared back into his office. I scrambled up and followed him, forgetting about my tray completely.

'What did he say to you?' I asked casually. At least, that was the intention. Wilson shrugged.

'Something about beating me with his cane. Honestly, who listens?' Wilson joked dismissively. I sat down, my nerves starting to settle. I even remembered my tray and thought about taking a bite of that apple. Then, Wilson spoke again: 'So, you going to talk to him?'

If I _had_ been eating that apple, I would've choked.

'About what, exactly?' I asked, looking at Wilson as if he had lost his mind. 'The weather? My new shoes? The way trees rustle in the breeze?'

'About your new position here,' Wilson said, ignoring my sarcasm as he sifted through the papers on his desk. 'You're going to have to deal with him eventually. I know you can. I've seen you do it before.'

I sighed and rubbed my temple. 'That was a long time ago, Wilson.'

'I don't think that much could have changed about you,' he replied with an encouraging smile. I smiled uneasily back at him. I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off by my phone ringing. Wilson went back to the papers on his desk as I fished my phone out of my pocket.

Scott.

I pushed the ignore button as quickly as I could. Now was definitely not the time.

* * *

I strode down the hall confidently, although I was hyperventilating on the inside. I wasn't exactly sure what I would say when I got there. Honestly, what had possessed me to let Wilson talk me into this?

I turned the corner and was faced with the long wall of glass that I knew so well. Inside I saw some new faces and a familiar one. Right away, I recognized Foreman bouncing a pencil on the table absent-mindedly. Next to him was an attractive woman with long, dark hair sipping from a mug. At the other end of the table was a shorter man with a receding hairline. For a moment, I pushed my nerves aside and smirked. Of all the people under House when I had been here, I didn't think Foreman would have been the one to stay.

Behind me, footsteps echoed through the hall. I turned and was greeted with yet another familiar face. This particular face had a jovial smile spread over it.

'Frankie?' he asked, surprised. I smiled back. 'What are you doing here?'

I shrugged. 'I'm in the oncology department now. Working on some electro-stimulus trials that Wilson has been handling.'

'Sounds right up your alley, then. I just can't believe you're back,' he replied, raising his eyebrows. 'I thought you had moved back to Boston.'

'Yeah, I did. Finished up my residency there.'

'Then wh—'

'Am I interrupting something?' a voice boomed, cutting Chase off mid-sentence. I turned to see House standing just outside the conference room door, marker still in hand. Foreman and the two newbies filed out curiously, hoping to hear what was going on.

'Just a touching reunion,' I retorted, letting snarkiness overpower nervousness. 'But then you never were one for a movie moment.'

'Only when it's an X-Rated moment.'

'Is that all it takes you? A moment?' I eyed him. 'That's not surprising.'

'I've got to save my strength when I'm pleasing two women at once.'

'One for you and one for your ego?'

'No, both for me. My ego gets a woman all to himself.'

'He's selfish too, huh?'

'No. I just know where he's been.' House punctuated his statement with a mock-disgusted expression.

'You sure got to Wilson's office quickly. I guess you keep in decent shape for a gimp.'

'Well, you know, I get such aerobic exercise in the bedroom.'

'I sincerely doubt you do any of the work. Art imitates life, after all.'

There was a moment of eerie silence. Like an old west town after a shoot-out. The next thing he said was like pulling a molar out of his head, even though he tried not to show it.

'Welcome back.'

Then he turned and walked away toward his office.

* * *

'See?' Wilson said as we sat down. 'That wasn't so bad!'

'You're kidding,' I insisted, awe-stricken by his casual tone. 'If he could have caught me, he would have dug my eyes out with the end of his cane.'

Wilson's mouth stopped halfway to his sandwich. 'That is definitely an image...' He put his sandwich down and took a sip of his iced tea. He recovered quickly. 'It's also unnecessarily dramatic.'

I rolled my eyes and rolled my nectarine around my tray. I still hadn't eaten. 'You didn't see his face.'

'Maybe not, but I have known him for what seems like forever.' He took a bite of his BLT. I stayed quiet, contenting myself with making invisible designs on my tray with my nectarine. My shift was almost over and I was at a loss as to what to do. After today, I needed some Chinese take-out and a good action movie to chill me out. Something snapped me out of my thoughts of honey chicken and veggie lo mein, however.

'Why did you come to me, Wilson?' I asked, looking up from my nectarine and shooting the boyish oncologist a suspicious look.

'What do you mean?' he asked innocently. He was already half done with his sandwich. I must have been daydreaming for longer than I thought.

'There are plenty of Electrodiagnosticians in Jersey. Why me specifically?' Wilson stayed silent and took another bite of his sandwich. 'It had something to do with House, didn't it? You needed someone to throw him off! He was getting out of line again.'

'Frankie—' Wilson began. I didn't let him finish.

'You hired me to handle House?'

'You're an excellent doctor.'

'But that's not why I was hired. Was it?'

Wilson didn't speak for a moment.

'When I started the electro-stimulus trials, you _were_ the first person I thought of. The fact that you could help the hospital in another way was just... a bonus.'

I looked at him skeptically.

'You've been around House for too long,' I said as I rose. 'I'm going home.' I walked out of the cafeteria and left Wilson with my nectarine.

* * *

I trudged up the stairs, my shoulders feeling like bricks. It had been a long day. As I got closer and closer to Johnny's apartment door, I could hear loud music playing. Every now and then I could hear a slightly sour note, so I suspected that Johnny was playing with one of his friends.

My phone rang in my pocket. I reached in my pocket and pressed ignore without even fishing it out. I could make an educated guess as to who it was.

I finally made it to the door and fit my key in the lock. The music grew louder as I opened the door.

And there, in all his self-assuming glory, was Gregory House playing the guitar with my brother.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the follows guys! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I was out of town for a couple weeks with no internet. Here's House, finally! Who missed him? I did! Let me know what you think, all reviews are welcome. Have an awesome, sunny day!


	4. Be Nice

4 – Be Nice

* * *

'What the hell is going on here?' My voice cracked a bit as I dropped my messenger bag onto the floor. House and Johnny continued their playing.

'Hey!' I yelled.

Still playing.

'_Hey!_' I yelled as loudly as I could. The sudden stop of guitar playing made the apartment feel like a graveyard.

'What the hell is going on?' I asked impatiently.

'It's Thursday,' Johnny said shrugging. I looked at him quizzically.

'And the sky is blue,' I replied. 'Are we stating the obvious now?'

Johnny shook his head dismissively. 'No, we always jam on Thursdays,' he said simply, as if it were obvious. I blinked in obvious confusion.

'What?' was all I could manage to say.

'Jamming,' House said in an annoyingly loud voice. 'Thursdays.'

I shot him a flat look. 'I'm not deaf.'

'Just dumb, then?'

'That better be a play on words.'

'Believe what you have to.'

'Children, play nice,' Johnny interrupted. 'Daddy has to take a potty break, and he wants to make sure you two can share.'

I was sure House and I both shot Johnny the same look at the same time.

'Okay, okay!' Johnny threw his hands up in defeat and backed away. 'Jeez, you guys have no sense of humor.' He walked off toward the bathroom, sunny as ever. I sighed and looked back at House. He slung the guitar over his neck and rested it against the couch next to his cane.

'Listen, I'm back at Princeton Plainsboro now, so I would imagine we have to be civil to each other.'

House looked up at the ceiling pensively for a while. I shifted my weight as I watched him. Just as I was about to leave the room, he started to walk toward me. He walked faster than you would expect a man with a cane to walk. I had forgotten that.

A split second later I was against the wall and he was kissing me.

I shoved him away and slapped him as hard as I could. He seemed unfazed. As a matter of fact, he had a smirk on his face.

'Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a cripple?' he asked cocking an eyebrow.

* * *

'No, but she did tell me absence made the heart grow fonder,' I replied, wiping my mouth. 'She lied.'

'Aw, you mean you didn't miss me?' His smirk widened into a smile. I rolled my eyes.

'I would say that I forgot what an ass you were, but then _I_ would be lying.'

'You said we should be civil,' he defended sarcastically, watching me. I glared at him.

'I said that _we_ should be civil,' I motioned to the both of us. 'Not that our tongues should!'

'Oh, come on. You know you want me.'

'Right now? Maybe at the bottom of a river.'

'Whoa, this is the wrong place to enter the conversation.' Johnny had just come back into the living room. I let out an exasperated sigh in House's general direction and stalked toward the kitchen. Behind me I could hear muffled conversation and a few minutes later I heard the front door open and close.

I opened the fridge and pulled out a loaf of bread and some fig jam. Somehow I had managed to not eat anything since breakfast.

'And here I thought you were a music enthusiast,' Johnny said from behind me. I placed two pieces of bread in the toaster and poured myself some juice.

'I am a music enthusiast. I'm just not an enthusiast of arrogant, ridiculous, gimpy doctors.' I opened the kitchen drawer and pulled out a butter knife.

'I think you're in the wrong profession, then,' Johnny quipped cheerily. I heard him pull a chair out from under the kitchen table and sit down. I turned around and shot him a weary look as the toast popped up out of the toaster.

'When you told me that it would be awesome for me to move in here, you didn't think that it would be good to inform me of the fact that Gregory House is here on a regular basis?' I asked carefully, staring my brother in the eye. Johnny sat with his hands in his lap, looking up at me innocently.

'Well... no. Not really.'

I shot him a flat look. 'Did it occur to you that maybe I wanted to avoid him as much as possible?' I turned back toward the counter and spread jam on my newly-warm toast. When I looked back at Johnny again, he was shaking his head.

'Frankie...' he looked up at me with a calm, honest expression. 'If you really wanted to avoid Greg so much, you wouldn't have moved back to Princeton.'

I stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter with my fig-covered toast in my hand and a blank look on my face.

'I had to go somewhere,' I whispered. My mouth felt dry. I took a sip of my juice to quench it, but it didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Johnny stood up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

'Franks, maybe you should just stop running. Take a rest. Get your bearings.' He pushed a stray curl back from my face. 'You might just find someplace you would actually like to hang your hat.'

I opened my mouth to speak but quickly closed it again. I had so much to say, but saying it all would just make it real again.

I had promised myself that the next day would be a better one. Johnny's words rang in my head as I tried to sleep the night before. Maybe it _was_ time to try to find somewhere to settle. I was not-so-slowly creeping up on thirty-two and my lack of stability wasn't exactly encouraging. I was in the middle of this train of thought as I pulled in to the Princeton Plainsboro parking lot.

After all, I did leave Boston with a lot of damage in my wake. I thought back to the people in Boston that I had disappointed, and my sunny disposition was starting to fade. Luckily enough for me, a guy on a motorcycle almost nailed my car and distracted my mind from depression. How nice of him.

I slammed on my brakes and watched the motorcycle knowingly. After all, how many people with a custom rig for their cane not only would speed into the staff parking lot, but also loved annoying me?

I parked in the first spot I found and strode into the hospital. Twenty feet away from me, I could see House. All at once, I remembered that the word 'civility' was not in Greg House's dictionary. If I was going to get through to him, I had to play dirty.

I jogged up beside him and smiled. When he stopped walking and I knew he was stable enough, I snatched his cane out from under him and backed away a few feet. House stumbled for a moment but soon caught his balance. When he looked up at me, a flash of anger lit his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. He just stood there, taller than me by over half a foot, looking at me with his patented critical gaze.

'Your mom really did a bad job on the day that she taught 'Crip Maintenance 101,' didn't she?' he said, tilting his head. I pointed his cane at him.

'If I didn't have this cane in my hand right now, I would think it had accidentally gotten lodged up your ass. What is your problem?' I kept my voice calm. I knew he fed off of emotional reactions like some kind of parasite. He shifted his weight carefully and then leaned toward me.

'My _problem_ is that I have work to do, and you have my cane.'

'Well, you can't have it back.' I stubbornly crossed my arms across my chest and dangled the cane by my fingers.

'What are you, twelve?'

'Is that the pot calling the kettle immature?'

House smirked. 'What do you want?'

I circled him. 'I want you to do the hardest thing you could possibly do,' I stopped right in front of him and leaned in closer. 'Be nice,' I whispered. House cocked an eyebrow amusedly. I turned -cane in hand- and started to walk away.

'What will I get?' he called out after me. I spun and tossed him his cane. He caught it in mid-air.

'Maybe I'll be nice back.'

* * *

I had an office.

That was hard to wrap my head around. When I was at Princeton Plainsboro before, I shared a conference room and one desk with three other people. The work was more running around and trying to beat the clock with tests and theories than doing paperwork. At Massachusetts General it was almost as bad. Now I was sitting in my own office. It wasn't big, but it was all for me. I could do all my work in peace. It was quite the contrast.

Unfortunately, I was having trouble concentrating. Across the desk, my phone lit up. I took a deep breath. I was facing so many of my personal demons today. What was one more? I picked up the phone and pressed 'accept.'

'Hello?' I didn't mean for my voice to crack, but it did anyway.

'Frankie?' The voice on the other line sounded surprised, but otherwise he sounded exactly like I remembered him.

'Scott?' I looked down at the papers in front of me absent-mindedly. I felt like I was avoiding his gaze.

'Where are you?' His voice wasn't quite as confident as it normally was.

'I… can't tell you.' I could barely keep my voice above a whisper.

'You said we'd talk. You backed out, but you said we'd talk…'

'I know.'

'And then you left.' He was getting angry. 'You didn't even tell me where you went.'

'I can't…'

'Frankie—'

'I can't do this now, I'm at work.' I hadn't noticed my eyes watering.

'No, Frankie, you can't just brush me off about this again!'

'I have to go, Scott. Bye.' I hastily pressed the bright red 'end' button before he could say anything else. I wiped a tear that fell. That didn't go as well as I thought it would. But then, I didn't really have any right to hope that it _would_ go well.

* * *

A/N: New chapter! Thanks for all you guys' support with reviews, alerts, and faves! We're about halfway to the end now. Let me know what you guys think, R&R!


	5. Temporal Phenomena

5 – Temporal Phenomena

* * *

I stirred my pasta salad with a blank look on my face. The television in the lounge was on but I wasn't really sure what was playing. I was thinking about that morning's phone call all day, and it was getting to me. I set my bowl down and rubbed my temples. This week generally just sucked.

Behind me, I heard the door open and close. I muted the TV and rested my head back, eyes closed. I felt someone come and sit next to me. I opened my eyes and looked over.

'You said to be nice.' Greg House was sitting next to me. And he wasn't seething with some combination of anger and hatred. He pulled his leg up onto the coffee table as I tried to shake off my surprise.

'I thought you hated me,' I said, furrowing my eyebrows. House stared me right in the eye.

'I never said I didn't,' he stated bluntly. I raised my eyebrows.

'Then wh—'

'You're more interesting to scheme _with_, than _against_.' He turned back toward the television and turned the volume back up. 'It doesn't mean I have to like you. I just have to be nice.'

I smiled. 'I guess you don't,' I replied with a smirk. House glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I poked him in the shoulder. 'Being nice isn't really your strong suit, House.'

'I would call it my runt-of-the-litter suit, but that might be too negative of me.' He shot me a look that told me I should know better. I smiled. He hadn't changed. Except for the fact that I hadn't seen him pop a pill. I watched him for a few moments, skeptical. I was about to give up and eat my pasta when my phone started buzzing away on the coffee table. My eyes shot to the table.

It was Scott again. I pressed ignore as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw House raise an eyebrow. I let out a sigh.

'It's been a long time—'

I was cut off by my phone. Before I could react, House reached out and answered it.

'Denial hotline, how may I direct your obsessive call?'

'House,' I protested quietly.

'She's not here,' he said into the phone, his voice thick with sadistic sarcasm. He glanced at me mischievously. 'I think I tired her out.'

My eyes widened. 'House,' I hissed.

'Ok, I lied. She's dead.'

'House!'

'No, this isn't Greg House, it's the Tooth Fairy.'

I grasped House's shoulder. 'Just hang up,' I whispered. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Too late. He already did.' He tossed my phone in my direction.

'Oh, God,' I moaned to myself as I stared at my phone in terror.

'Like I've never heard that before.' House wriggled his eyebrows at me. I glared at him.

'You're hanging around me just to torture me, aren't you?'

'Who is this Scott guy, anyway? He seems like an incredible pest.'

'He's none of your business.'

'He sure was desperate to talk to you. Could be a business partner, or an ex…' House started to spin his cane. He was thinking. 'But he knew _my_ name, so…'

'So… what?'

'So, that means you told him about me.' House grinned. I rolled my eyes.

'Don't flatter yourself. You're one of my previous employers.'

House leaned in. 'Then why did he sound so mad?'

'He's always mad,' I lied. Scott was one of the most cool-headed people I knew. Almost to a fault.

House furrowed his eyebrows. 'You're lying.' His voice was surprised.

'Oh, shut up, Professor X.' I rose from the couch, taking my phone and my pasta salad with me.

'So who is he?' House called out as I got to the door. I stood still, hand on the doorknob, staring at the wood grain in the door.

'He's just... my past.'

'It seems like your past is seeping into your present.' He slipped into a fake Scottish accent. 'Sounds like temporal phenomena, Captain!'

I smiled. And then I opened the door and left.

* * *

I looked up at the sky. It was dark and encompassing, and I couldn't see very far in any direction. On the beach lounger next to me was Johnny, fast asleep. The roof of Johnny's building was the quietest part, and it was nice now and again to eat dinner there and talk. Of course, more often than not we would end up hanging out way later than we should.

The sounds of the city hummed around me softly as I stretched out on the lounger. I could hear Johnny breathing rhythmically to my right. It was such a relaxing night: just warm enough to make you feel like you were wrapped up in a big blanket.

However, even in this amazing night, my thoughts were racing. House, Scott, my new position at Princeton Plainsboro… everything was buzzing around my head like a swarm of bees.

Scott was… a memory I didn't particularly want to dwell on. But, he wouldn't be pushed aside. I knew that he would do whatever it took to get everything sorted out one way or another. I suppose I always knew that, even when I came running to the relative safety of Princeton.

Why did I run to Princeton? Sure, Johnny was here but that wasn't the only reason. In the back of my head, an idea nagged at me. An idea that I wished would just go away, but it wouldn't.

The idea that I was never satisfied with how things were left with Greg.

I saw him in the rear-view mirror. I saw him come back before I left for Boston, but I left anyway. Every once in a while in the past three years or so, when my thoughts would come back to Princeton, I would wonder if he knew I left him. Obviously he knew I quit, but I would wonder if he knew that I saw him there in the driveway all that time ago. I doubted it, and I was sure it was just my conscience working in overdrive, but I never was sure.

'Do I smell the sizzle of overworked brain cells?' Johnny's voice was groggy. I smiled and looked over. He was still scrunched up on the chair. If he hadn't just spoken, I would have assumed he was still asleep.

'How long have you been awake?' I asked, smiling down at my baby brother. He ignored my question.

'What are thinking about so hard?' He finally stirred and looked up at me. I tilted my head to the side to get a better look at him. His hair was sticking up at weird angles and his eyelids were still a little droopy.

'None of your business,' I said finally in my best big-sister voice. He stretched himself out and yawned, reminding me of a big cat.

'So… House.' His statement was simple and half-yawned.

'That doesn't mean I was thinking about House!' I protested. I guess I should have known better than to think Johnny wouldn't know me better than anyone. He rolled his eyes at me.

'But you were.'

I looked down at him and shook my head. 'How'd you get to be so smart?'

Johnny grinned sleepily. 'When I was born, a nurse accidentally dropped me in a vat of awesome. She still has no idea what she unleashed on the human race.'

'God help us all.'

'Amen.'

I laughed, feeling a bit better after my earlier thoughts.

'So what's with you and House?' Johnny asked, not letting me off the hook. I stayed silent for a moment, trying to pinpoint my unease.

'He's being nice to me. It's weird.' I made a face, but didn't know if Johnny could see it or not.

'Is that it?' Johnny asked, unimpressed. I rested my face in my hand and tried to look at my brother in the shadows.

'You don't understand. That's just not how he operates. He wants something…'

'Well, maybe he isn't okay with how you guys left things, either.'

'How do you know I'm not okay with it?' I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at him. I couldn't exactly tell in the dark –it was getting darker- but I was sure I could feel Johnny roll his eyes again.

'It's been three and a half years, Franks. And you're sitting here still trying to figure him out. That doesn't sound like someone who's completely at peace to me.'

I sat quietly on my lounger, staring at my brother. I sighed.

'I didn't want to miss him when I was in Boston, but I did,' I whispered, letting out a soft laugh at how crazy I probably sounded.

'I know,' Johnny whispered back. I quickly let a stern expression come over my features.

'If you tell him any of this, I'll disown you and burn your guitar.'

Johnny raised his eyebrows. 'Disown me _and_ burn my guitar. Don't you think that's a little overkill?'

I shook my head and shot him a dismissive wave. 'Naaah.'

* * *

A/N: You've gotta love denial! ;) Rounding towards the end now, only three chapters left! Thanks again for everyone's support. Please R&R, let me know your thoughts!


	6. Shellshocked

6 – Shellshocked

* * *

I yawned. It had been a long night. I had visited every patient in our current trial, applied the proper electro-stimulus, and recorded the data. I checked my watch. It was rounding four o'clock in the morning, and I still had to organize all the data before I gave it to Wilson.

Music streamed through my earphones as I walked along the hallway. I wasn't really paying attention to it anymore, but it was doing a good job of keeping me awake. I read the file in my hands while I walked at the briskest pace I could manage toward the elevator.

Not looking up, I pressed the button to call the elevator and waited. A second later, I felt something shove me firmly between the shoulder blades. I didn't have to turn to know what it was, but I did anyway.

'Sorry,' House said, his tone completely unapologetic no matter what his words are. 'I was going for the button. This thing has a mind of its own.' He waved his cane back and forth slightly to punctuate his sentence. I smiled at him sleepily.

'If that's true, maybe you should just leave the cane in charge for a while. It'll probably do a better job.'

House smirked at me. 'How long have you been here? You look like crap.'

I yawned at him. 'Your sweet words could charm the morning dew off the honeysuckle,' I replied sarcastically in an affected accent. It was quiet for a while, and I wasn't sure how long it had been. The elevator doors opened. I walked in and turned around. House looked pensive. He looked up as I pressed the button for my floor.

'Have dinner with me,' he said. I was suddenly wide awake. It wasn't really a question, but he waited for a response nonetheless.

'I thought you didn't like me?' I asked with a knowing smirk.

'I don't.' He was fighting a smile.

'I'm glad we got that sorted out.' I smiled sleepily. The lack of sleep was starting to get to me. The jerk had to ask me when my guard was down.

'So?' He asked as if he already knew the answer. The doors were starting to close.

'You're buying,' I called out just before they shut.

* * *

'He asked you to what?' Wilson asked, surprise on his face.

'It wasn't so much a question, really…' My sentence trailed off. Now that I was sitting in a comfy chair in Wilson's office, it was taking all I had to stay conscious.

'What did you say?' Looking at Wilson was like watching a kid with a new Hardy Boys book that couldn't wait to see how it ended. I shrugged at him.

'I said yes,' I said simply. A satisfied smile spread over Wilson's features.

'Good.'

I furrowed my eyebrows. 'If you think I'm too sleepy to ask what the smile and the cryptic answer are about, you're wrong.'

'I'm just glad you guys are talking again,' Wilson replied defensively. 'It makes my life easier.'

The door opened and a nurse poked her blonde head in. I recognized her immediately. Her name was Cheryl, and she had been helping us with the trial.

'Doctor Wilson, can I speak to you for a minute?' She gestured out toward the hallway. Wilson excused himself and went out to speak with her.

Out the window I could see the sun rising. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. Maybe I could catch a minute and a half of sleep while Wilson was in the hallway…

On the desk, Wilson's phone started to vibrate. Out of instinctive curiosity, I peeked over some papers at it.

Johnny Labrada.

'_Good God_,' I thought to myself. '_That boy is friends with _everyone.'

* * *

'So, you mean that after all the crap you gave me for being friends with House, you're going out to dinner with him?' Johnny asked as I applied some mascara in the bathroom mirror.

'Yup,' I replied plainly between mascara strokes.

'Oh,' Johnny said casually. 'Okay.'

I smiled. Johnny took everything in stride. There were so many times that I wished I could be that way. I did a few more quick touch ups in the mirror and turned to my brother.

'How do I look?' I asked, doing a flourish that Vanna White would be proud of. Johnny smiled.

'On a scale of one to ten, one being "Did you miss me?" and ten being "Jump me now!" what are we going for exactly?' He asked with a mischievous smirk. I looked myself in the mirror again.

I wore my dark curls down, and I sported a just-above-the knee black dress with a relatively low neckline that I saved for when I wanted that whole classy-but-sexy thing going on.

'How about five, being "Did you miss trying to jump me?"' I asked jokingly.

Johnny laughed. 'Then you're perfect.'

A knock at the door interrupted us. Johnny held up his hands so that I would stay put and went to answer it. I could hear some muffled voices in the living room as I spritzed myself with some perfume and walked out of the bathroom. The voices got clearer as I kept walking.

'Going out with Franks, huh? Want some cyanide tablets for the road?' Johnny asked House jokingly as I came in. I sent a smack flying for his head, but he knew my swing too well and ducked. I barely grazed the top of his hair.

'You're such a loving brother!' I said sarcastically, gripping Johnny as tightly as I could.

'Can't breathe!' Johnny rasped dramatically. I let go and affectionately punched him in the shoulder as House looked on with an amused expression.

* * *

I watched House across the table as he glanced over the menu and thought back to what I had told Johnny on the roof. I _had_ missed House. When I was away from him, I couldn't even imagine why I missed him. When I was in Princeton before, he was an addict who didn't accept help. I had been down that road before, with Nick so many years ago. It hadn't ended well at all.

But when I was with House, even when we were fighting, I understood why I had missed him, even if I couldn't really describe it. Looking at him now, I could tell he was clean. All the justifications I had made for leaving over the past three years were wrong. He was nothing like Nick. I just couldn't handle him and had decided to run…

So what now?

'So, how was Boston?' House asked, although he seemed to dread the answer. I sipped my water.

'It was nice. I was near my family.' I shot him a knowing look before continuing. 'I also got a massive amount of respect at Mass General when they found out I had worked for _you_.'

House shrugged dismissively. 'Puritans hate me.'

I laughed. 'So does everyone else,' I replied, half-joking. He smirked and opened his mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut when the waiter came by with the bottle of wine we had ordered. When we had been served, House spoke up again, smirking.

'Do you hate me?' he asked, watching me intently. I chuckled into my glass of Riesling as I sipped.

'Let's just say,' I began, tracing my finger around the rim of the glass, 'that I hate you about as much as you hate me.'

'You do have a dark soul, don't you?' He retorted sarcastically. I shook my head amusedly.

'Why are we here, House?' It was the elephant in the room, we might as well address it before it stomped all over us. He cocked his head to the side.

'You can still call me Greg, you know,' he said simply, his voice filled with a surprising amount of sincerity. I nodded in acknowledgement.

'You didn't answer my question, _Greg_.'

He stayed quiet for a second. 'I came back, you know.'

My eyes snapped up to look him in the eye. I wasn't quite sure what to say. I took a big sip of my wine and decided to opt for honesty.

'I know.' I stared at my glass for a moment, but I could see Greg's puzzled expression out of the corner of my eye.

'What?' he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. I took a deep breath.

'I saw you,' I said softly, looking him in the eye again. 'I saw you pull up in the rearview mirror.'

'And you still left?' he asked incredulously. I bristled at his tone.

'You never told me you wanted me to stay,' I protested defensively.

'I went back for you!' he exclaimed, his voice getting louder. I sighed.

'Lower your voice,' I told him, my voice barely above a whisper.

'No!' he cried out. His hand was forming a fist on the table. 'I came back for you, and you left me behind.'

'I know!' I shouted at him, my voice rising instinctively to match his. I took a moment to calm myself before continuing. 'If I had turned my car around, run into your arms, and said everything was okay… would you be clean right now?'

Greg looked taken aback. 'Don't flatter yourself. You didn't do that.'

'Just answer the question for once,' I insisted. He stared at me stubbornly for a minute, but he didn't counter my assumption again.

'So, what? Are you trying to tell me that you left me for my own good?' His eyes were hard.

'Not at all,' I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. 'I didn't know that you would be clean now. I left for _my_ own good. I kept driving because I couldn't handle it.'

'So why the hell did you come back?' Greg asked, his tone filled with frustration. I let out a deep sigh and leaned forward. I let my defenses fall and a gave him a weary smile

'I think… because I missed you. And I hoped that you had learned to miss me.'

It was silent for what seemed to be an infinitely long time. House bounced his cane on the floor absent-mindedly. I downed the rest of my wine and settled back in my chair. Then, finally, Greg spoke up.

'I did.'

I perked up, looking up at him again. 'What?'

'I did learn to miss you,' he admitted quietly. 'I learned damn well.'

* * *

The rest of the evening had gone forward in a happy medium between an awkward peace and a familiar flirtation. I smiled as we made our way to Johnny's door. As I fit my key in the lock, Greg grabbed my hand and leaned close to me. I smirked.

'Be careful,' I whispered, 'I think you're getting pretty close to not hating me anymore.'

Greg just grinned and pulled me close, kissing me. He didn't let go for a moment, and –unlike last time- I didn't pull away. He broke away eventually and smiled.

He winked. 'Sweet dreams.' He started to back away down the hall. I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him. He turned and disappeared around the corner as I opened the door.

'Franks?' I heard Johnny say uneasily as I turned away from the hallway.

There, standing beside my brother, was Scott. I stood in the doorway, shellshocked. Scott looked angry. Johnny just looked uncomfortable.

'Frankie?' Scott asked, hurt showing through in his eyes. I snapped out of it as quickly as I could and closed the front door behind me. Johnny took an anxious step forward.

'Would you like to explain why this guy says that he's your fiancé?'

* * *

A/N: Only a couple chapters left you guys! Thanks, as usual, for all your support. Please R&R and have an awesome day!


	7. Lion's Den

7 – Lion's Den

* * *

Scott stood almost half a foot taller than Johnny. He had clear blue eyes and his curly salt and pepper hair was kept cleanly cut. In fact, on an average day he always stayed very well kempt. Now, however, he wore a slouchy t-shirt and jeans. I rarely saw him that way.

'You didn't tell your brother that we were engaged?' His voice was hurt. I ran my hand down my face.

'I told you before I left that I couldn't go through with it,' I said. My head was swimming. Scott looked incredulous.

'So that means you can just run away from our entire relationship?' he asked. I shook my head, flustered.

'That's not what I meant! I was scared.'

'So, you _moved_?'

'Okay, now, people,' Johnny interrupted calmly, grabbing Scott firmly by the arm. The tall man was surprised by the gesture. 'I think we all need to take a step back. Scott, do you think I could talk to my sister for a while.'

Scott's composure cooled and he nodded. 'You know where I'm staying,' he told Johnny. He looked at me. 'I'll be back tomorrow. We need to talk.'

And with that he was out the door and gone. I walked across the room and collapsed onto the couch. I hadn't even realized that a lump was forming in my throat until the first few tears escaped.

'I'm sorry, Johnny,' I whispered. I heard Johnny sigh and walk over. He sat on the coffee table across from me. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

'Just talk to me, Franks,' he said softly. 'What the hell was all that about?'

I took a deep breath as I thought back. 'I met Scott about a year and a half ago. He works at Mass General in the HR department. He was nice…'

Johnny smiled encouragingly. 'You guys got together?'

I nodded. 'We dated for a while. I was so busy with my residency that the time just went by so fast. And then one day, he proposed.'

'And you said yes?' Johnny looked a little surprised, but his face was still encouraging.

I nodded again, feeling sick. 'I realized it was a mistake almost right away, but I didn't know what to do about it. And then one day we were talking about curtains and I snapped. I told him I couldn't go through with it, but he was convinced that he could change my mind in time. I agreed to talk to him about it after I had some time to think, but all I could think about was running away.'

'Did you love him?' Johnny asked as I fell back on the couch, face wet with tears.

'He's a great guy,' I said wearily. Johnny grasped my hands.

'That's not what I asked, Franks,' he said knowingly. I smiled uneasily at him.

'I care about him. I want what's best for him, but that's not me.'

'And why's that?' Johnny prodded gently. I sighed.

'Because you're right. I'm not in love with him.'

* * *

I had snuck out early the next morning. I didn't know when Scott was going to come back, and I had a lot to sort through before I saw him again. I was convinced that when I entered the hospital I looked twitchier than a chipmunk on crack. I made my way to Wilson's office as quickly as I could. Thankfully, I didn't have to go that far.

Wilson stepped off the elevator and into the lobby. I waved to get his attention and he smiled at me as he came over. When he got closer, though, slight concern spread over his features.

'Are you okay? Did House actually run you down this time?'

I let out a nervous laugh. 'No, nothing like that. But do you know if House is here yet?'

Wilson shook his head. 'I doubt it, it's pretty early. Is everything alright?'

I nodded absent-mindedly. 'Yeah, I just have to talk to him about something.' I tried to push my nerves aside as I walked with Wilson. He was getting some breakfast. I had snuck out in such a rush that I hadn't eaten anything before I left, so I decided to join him.

'So, how was the dinner with House?' Wilson asked with a smirk as we sat down. I smiled at him.

'I poisoned him,' I joked. 'Don't tell.' I brought my finger to my lips to emphasize my statement.

'My lips are sealed,' he replied with an over-exaggerated wink.

We sat in silence for a few moments as we ate our bagels, but as I watched Wilson I could tell he wanted an honest answer to his question.

'The dinner was… good. It had its ups and downs,' I said finally. Wilson looked up from his breakfast curiously.

'Did it end on an up or a down?' he asked with an enthusiastic expression on his face. I smiled. If Scott hadn't shown up out of nowhere, it would have been a pretty great night.

'I would say an up.'

* * *

I never realized how truly _not_ calming elevator music was until today. I leaned against the back wall of the elevator, my leg bouncing up and down. I had done a lot of thinking the night before while I should have been sleeping, but couldn't.

I had to tell House about Scott.

Scott was getting slightly unpredictable. He had always been impulsive, but he had changed in the short time since I had last spoken with him in Boston. I knew that was more than partially my fault, but I had no idea what to do about it to make everyone happy. That's what scared me most of all. Right now, all I could do was prepare for the fallout.

The elevator doors opened and I launched myself out eagerly. I turned a corner and was thankfully faced with exactly who I had been looking for the past twenty minutes. I smiled.

'House!' I called out as I hurried over to him before he entered his office. He turned and shot me his patented smirk. 'I need to talk to you.'

In my pocket, I heard my phone ring. I ignored it without bothering to look at it. House looked me over curiously.

'What's wrong?'

'There's someone here from Boston that I have to talk to you abo—'

My phone went off again. I let out an exasperated sigh and looked down at it. It was Johnny. I furrowed my eyebrows and answered it.

'Johnny?'

Johnny sounded anxious, and he spoke fast. 'Franks! When Scott realized you weren't here, he got really upset—'

'Johnny, you have to chill out. Speak slower.' When, I looked up, however, I knew exactly what Johnny was trying to tell me.

'He went to the hospital! I've been trying to warn you.'

Down the hall, Scott was quickly advancing on Greg and me. I panicked.

'He's here, Johnny, I've got to go.'

I heard Johnny say a quick 'Be careful,' before I hung up the phone.

'Scott—' I began firmly, but before I could say another word I saw Scott's fist flying toward Greg's face. As soon as I looked over at Greg all I could see was his hand rubbing his chin.

'Who the hell are you?' Greg asked, confused.

'I'm her fiancé,' Scott spat, taking a step back. I had never seen him hit anyone before.

'What?' Greg's eyes were wide and incredulous. I took a deep breath and intervened, putting both hands on Scott's chest and pushing him into Greg's office.

'Borrowing your office,' I informed Greg as I shoved Scott through the doorway. However, Greg wasn't exactly in a cooperative mood. Was he ever?

'What do you mean fiancé?' he asked, his voice rising as he followed me inside. I turned and shot Greg a look.

'Meaning that I proposed and she accepted,' Scott replied challengingly. 'What part of this is your infantile brain finding hard to grasp?'

'That she would ever tie herself down to anyone that looked like a sun-burned baboon's ass, for one,' Greg retorted, coming closer.

'Children!' I cried out, making them both look at me. I glared at them both in turn. 'Everyone will get a turn to spout spiteful nonsense, but right now Teacher needs to speak to Scott alone.'

'But he hit me,' Greg protested in a child-like voice. I gave him a stern look. He rolled his eyes and shot Scott a quick shanking motion before leaving. I ran my hand down my face and turned toward Scott, who at this point was seething with impatience and rage. I made him sit down in a chair and pulled Greg's chair from behind his desk to sit in front of Scott.

'Is this why you left?' he asked, his eyes ice cold. 'For him?'

I shook my head. 'No, that's not it at all. I didn't even move to Princeton because House was here. I moved here because Johnny was here, and he makes me feel safe.'

'Then why?' Scott asked, his hardness breaking down. 'Was there someone else?'

'No,' I answered honestly. 'I wouldn't do that to you.'

'Then what happened?'

I sighed, trying to collect my thoughts. I had no idea how to tell him what I had to tell him.

'I just… didn't want us to get married,' I began, looking Scott in the eye. 'And I knew that you wanted it so badly. I just knew it wasn't going to work, so I got scared and I ran.'

'How can you say that so simply?' he asked, furrowing his eyebrows at me as if he couldn't believe me. I bit my lip and shrugged.

'Because sometimes things really are that simple.' It was all I could manage to say.

'So, that's it, then?' He sat back in his chair, looking defeated. I grabbed his hand so that he would look at me.

'I think we both know it wouldn't get better. You don't want to be with someone who doesn't want what you want, do you?' I kept my voice soft. Despite my insecurities and everything that I had inadvertently done because of my fear, I did care for Scott. He stayed silent for a long moment.

'So all of this… was for nothing?' He sounded like he was trying to sort through it all. My stomach knotted.

'You can hate me if you want to,' I said grimly, trying to smile. Scott let out a hard laugh.

'No, I probably can't,' he began, getting up. 'But I don't have to forgive you.'

'No,' I said, looking up at him, 'I wouldn't expect that of you.'

And with that, he left. I was alone in the lion's den. Now I just had to wait for the lion.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun DUN! Next chapter will be the last one, guys. It's been a hell of a trip. Please R&R, and stay tuned for the finale!


	8. Everybody Lies

8 – Everybody Lies

* * *

I turned toward the door and watched Greg come in slowly.

'Is it my turn yet?' he asked sarcastically, his voice cold. I leaned back in his chair, starting to get desensitized to my nerves.

'Come at me, bro,' I said jokingly, ready to get this over with. He didn't seem amused.

'Fiancé?' he asked simply. I shook my head.

'It was over before I left Boston, I just… didn't handle it well,' I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.

'Were you ever planning on telling me?' He was getting irritated.

'I was trying to tell you ten minutes ago!' I replied defensively. He started to pace.

'Yeah, of course, as soon as you had no other choice,' he said, waving his arms, his voice rising.

'That's not true,' I told him, raising my voice to match his.

'Yeah, right.'

I scoffed unbelievingly. 'It's not like you're the gold standard for honesty, Greg.'

He shot me a look that I swore could have burned holes in my chest.

'I've always been honest with you.'

'So have I,' I shot back. I rose from my chair. 'If you don't want to believe that, that's your problem.'

I brushed past him to get to the door and he grabbed my wrist. I turned around and looked him in the eye. We stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, and then he let go, turning away from me.

* * *

Wilson blinked blankly behind his desk. He had sat there for twenty minutes while I described, explained, and vented. I think I had rendered him speechless.

'Wow.'

I nodded. 'Yeah.'

'So what are you going to do?' he asked, his eyebrows raised. I shrugged.

'I don't know yet.'

Wilson frowned. 'You're not thinking of running away again, are you?'

Something inside me cracked just a bit and I let out a bitter laugh. Running away.

'Why not?' I asked, my tone sour. 'I've gotten so good at it by now.'

'You can't run forever,' Wilson protested. I shook my head.

'I always have, why break my stride now? I ran from Nick instead of helping him, I ran from Greg when I realized he was too much for me to handle, and I ran from Scott when he started taking me too seriously. If there was a metaphorical Olympics, I'd have a gold medal for running away.'

Wilson stayed silent for a moment, examining me. I didn't look at him.

'And where has that gotten you?' he asked honestly, making my eyes snap to him. I sighed and shrugged.

'Right here,' I told him, resigned.

* * *

'Johnny, where's my suitcase?' I called out from my room.

'I burned it!' he yelled back from the living room. I furrowed my eyebrows and walked down the hall. Johnny was sitting on the couch playing a video game.

'You burned it?' I asked skeptically.

'Yup,' Johnny confirmed, not looking away from the TV. 'Burned it to a crisp. Spread the ashes in the back yard.'

'You live on the third floor, you have no back yard,' I replied, smiling at my brother. He stopped for a moment and thought.

'You've got me there.'

'Where's my suitcase?' I repeated, crossing my arms.

'I hid it. You're not going anywhere.'

'What?'

'You heard me, young lady.'

'I'm an adult, Johnny; I can go wherever I want.'

Johnny paused his game and turned to look at me.

'Are you?' he asked with a knowing look on his face. 'The last time I checked, adults dealt with their problems instead bouncing between cities like a ping pong ball. Do what you have to: quit, break it off with House for good, take in stray cats and name all of them Muffin. I don't care. But deal with it somehow, because you're not going anywhere.'

I blinked. Johnny was usually so casual and care-free that his responsible moments always had more impact. I walked back to my room with a sigh. Nothing sticks your total wrongness in your face like your little brother telling you that you are.

I sat on my bed, nicely folding all the clothes that I had hastily taken out in my pathological need for escape. As I went to my closet, I spotted something dark in the back. I realized what it was as soon as I reached to pull it out:

Greg's blazer. The one I had won all those years ago. The lining still smelled like his cologne. I smiled as I brought it up to my face. I sighed. Why did I have to fall in love with the biggest pain in the ass I had ever met?

Or better yet… would I still love him if he wasn't the way he was?

I finished putting my clothes away and looked back at the blazer that was lying on my bed.

'_Probably not,_' I thought to myself.

* * *

I walked into Greg's office the next afternoon quietly, but confidently.

'I hate you,' I said half-jokingly with a smile on my face. He looked up at me with his eyebrows raised.

'Thank you?' he said, eyeing me. I took a step forward and watched as he rose from behind his desk.

'I hate you, because you're inescapable. I'll never be free of you,' I told him, taking another step forward. Greg rounded his desk and stopped in front of it, leaning back on the corner.

'And why's that?' he asked, watching me. He was studying me like he always had. My smile widened. I had even missed that. I shrugged.

'Because I'm in love with you.'

Greg smirked and came toward me.

'Sounds like a stupid thing to do,' he said, looking down at me. I nodded in agreement.

'Completely idiotic.' I shrugged. 'But I can't really help it now. I'm pretty sure I'm a terminal case.'

Greg reached up and brushed his hand across my face.

'I'm pretty sure it's contagious.'

I smiled. I reached up, held his face between my hands and kissed him as hard as I could. When I broke away, Greg was smirking again.

'I thought you hated me,' he said, a satisfied knowing look in his eyes, like he had just completed a massive puzzle. I shrugged, moving in closer. I looked him in the eye and smirked.

'Everybody lies,' I told him. We kissed again, and for once his muscles didn't tense, and for once I couldn't imagine running anywhere.

* * *

A/N: You guys have been the best. I didn't want this story to end, so it took me a while to post this last chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. Thank all you guys for your patience and for sticking with me and with this story. It has meant a lot.

I wont lie and say this is the end for Frankie and House. They're always in my head, and I'm sure I will have more of their story to share in the future. Let me know if you'd like to stay up to date with their story, and I'll drop you a line when there's more to it.

Now, from the bottom of my little writer heart... Thank you all.


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